Photo-crosslinking of a self-assembled coumarin-dipeptide hydrogel

The self-assembly and photo-crosslinking of a lysine dipeptide functionalized with 7-(diethylamino)-3-coumarin carboxylic acid (7-DAC) is described. Self-assembly of the dipeptide in water and PBS produces a hydrogel comprised of uniform, micrometer length nanofibers. Irradiation of the nanofibers at 365 nm induces dimerization of the coumarin groups, which crosslinks and stabilizes the noncovalent nanofibers and enhances the mechanical properties.